Vehicle-spoke boot.



y No. 334,150.

@6W/@wl J. T. MILLS. VEHICLE SPUKE BOOT.

APPLIOATION'FILED SEPT.16,1905.

PATENTED OCT. 23.1906. y.

- UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

` Specicaton'of Letters Patent.

Patented Oct. 23, 1906.

Application filed September 16,1905. Serial No. 278,'7788.

To all whom it may concern: i

Be it known that I, J oE T. MILLS, a citizen of the United States, residing at News Ferry,

in the county of Halifax and State of Vir-l ginia, have invented a new and Improved Vehicle-Spoke Boot, of which the following 4is a specification.

This invention relates to a boot or socket designed to connect a vehicle-spoke with a felly or rim.

The object of the invention is to strengthen both the spoke and felly and to avoid the danger of the reduced end of the spoke breaking off in the felly, as is often the case, owing to the fact that this is one of the weak lpoints in a spoke.

My invention consists of the novel features ofconstruction hereinafter described, pointed out in the claims, and shown in the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1 is a perspective view Showing the application of my invention. Fig. 2 is a longitudinal section through a portion of a rim and tire and showing my spoke-boot in place, partly in section and partly in elevation. Fig. 3 is a detail perspective view of the Spoke-boot.

being in elevation.

In the drawings, A represents the felly, and B the tire, of a vehicle-wheel provided with a spoke C, which may be of any suitable construction7 but in which the usual tenon is omitted.

My spoke-boot consists lof the cylindrical socket-piece D, of any size and suitable material, which is adapted to receive the outer Fig. 4 is a plan view. Fig. 5 is a vertical section, a portion of the tenonv l end of a spoke and which is provided with a flanged base D', preferably oval in outline,

as shown in Fig. 4, and the edges of which are turned down, as shown at D2, and which bite into the felly, as shown in Fig. 2. The boot is also provided with a centrally-arranged solid tenon D3, which fits in a suitable bore formed in the felly and the outerV end of which bears against the inner face of the tire B. By this construction the spoke is iirmly held in place, and it is not necessary to reduce the end of the spoke and fit the same into the felly, and the spoke is not, therefore, weakened at the end, and the felly is also strengthened, for the reason that the metal tenon D3 can be of less diameter than the usual Spoke end, and the flanged base D provides a larger bearing-surface than the ordinary shoulder formed upon a spoke.

Having thus fully described'rny invention, what I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is- Y 1. A socket of the kind described provided with an oval-shaped flange having turneddown edges, and a solid centrally-arranged' tenon.

2. A device of the kind described comprising in combination with a felly having a transverse bore, a socket having a flanged base, the edges of which areadapted to rest upon and bite into the felly, a tenon adapted- 

